By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, March 17 (Reuters) - A Vatican appeals court on Tuesday declared a partial mistrial in a landmark case that resulted in the conviction of a senior Catholic cardinal for
Vatican Appeals Court Orders Partial Mistrial in Cardinal Becciu Conviction
By Joshua McElwee
Vatican Appeals Court Decision and Background
Partial Mistrial Declared in Landmark Case
VATICAN CITY, March 17 (Reuters) - A Vatican appeals court on Tuesday declared a partial mistrial in a landmark case that resulted in the conviction of a senior Catholic cardinal for misappropriation of funds, undermining prosecutors after nearly five years of hearings.
Procedural Errors and Due Process Concerns
The appeals court said the judgment against Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, over a botched $200 million London real estate deal, was flawed because of procedural errors by prosecutors.
The court said prosecutors did not share the full case files with defendants and improperly redacted some items, depriving the defendants of due process.
Orders for Partial Retrial
It ordered a partial retrial but said some of the original rulings would stand.
"The Court considers it appropriate to point out that … it does not declare the overall nullity of the entire first-instance proceedings," said the decree.
"These, in fact, remain effective both with respect to the defendants and to the civil parties," it said.
Cardinal Becciu's Conviction and Subsequent Developments
Conviction and Sentencing
Convicted in 2023 on Several Charges
Becciu, the most senior Church official ever to stand trial before a Vatican criminal court, was convicted in December 2023 on several charges and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail.
He denies wrongdoing and remains free while pursuing appeals.
Upcoming Retrial and Trial Details
Tuesday's decree set June 22 as the first hearing date for the partial re-trial.
The original trial, which exposed infighting and intrigue in the highest echelons of the Vatican, lasted for 86 hearings over two-and-a-half years.
Details of the London Real Estate Deal
It revolved mostly around the messy purchase of the London building by the Secretariat of State, the Vatican's key administrative and diplomatic department.
Becciu, then an archbishop, held the No. 2 position at the Secretariat in 2013 when it began investing in a fund managed by Italian financier Raffaele Mincione.
The Vatican sold the building in 2022 at an estimated loss of about 140 million euros ($161.50 million).
Other Defendants and Financial Impact
Eight other defendants were also convicted by the Vatican tribunal in December on a range of charges. All deny wrongdoing and are pursuing appeals.
($1 = 0.8669 euros)
(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Bernadette Baum)
